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NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg Dies at 89

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Jewish NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg died at 89 in Manhattan Monday.
Jewish NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg died at 89 in Manhattan Monday.
The oldest member of the Senate, Frank Lautenberg, died from complications of viral pneumonia Monday in Manhattan, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited his office. He was 89.

Lautenberg began his senate career in 1982. He endorsed legislation banning smoking on airplanes, national standards for drunk driving, and increasing overall environmental awareness, among other things, the Journal reported.

“Never was Sen. Lautenberg to be underestimated as an advocate for the causes he believed in,” said New Jersey Governor Christie, while speaking at an event in Trenton, according to the Journal. “Today is a sad day for the people of New Jersey.”

The son of Jewish Polish and Russian immigrants, Lautenberg served in the army following his graduation from Nutley High School in New Jersey, and later earned a degree in economics from Columbia, according to the aforementioned report. After college, he successfully worked in the life insurance and data processing industries, successively, then turning to politics in 1982.

Apart from his political career, Lautenberg was known for his contributions to Jewish causes, according to the New York Times. Financial problems prevented him from having a bar mitzvah or joining a synagogue during his youth, but his awareness of the Holocaust inspired him to more actively work on behalf of Jewish efforts. He established the Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology at the Hebrew University Medical Faculty in Jerusalem, and served in various capacities for the American Friends of Hebrew University, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and the United Jewish Appeal, the Times reported.

Jewish organizations consequently issued statements of praise for Lautenberg after learning of his death.

“Frank Lautenberg was a giant in American and Jewish community life,” said Leonard Cole, former Chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “He has had a profound impact on the people of New Jersey and the US on a range of issues from a cleaner environment to improving support for the poor. Senator Lautenberg fully understood the paramount importance of a strong Israeli and American relationship, and no public figure was more dedicated to the welfare of the Jewish people.”

The American Israel Public Affair Committee (AIPAC) was similarly effusive in its eulogy.

“Senator Lautenberg’s leadership will be sorely missed because of his passion and effectiveness in taking a stand for America’s democratic ally and human rights,” it declared in a statement.  “He consistently and persistently made his voice heard in defense of Israel.  Senator Lautenberg stood up for the Jewish community of the Soviet Union when it suffered in the darkness of tyranny and assisted its liberation into the light of freedom.  Although he is no longer with us, Senator Lautenberg’s legacy of commitment to the Jewish people and human rights will long endure. “

Lautenberg is survived by his wife, Bonnie, six children and 13 grandchildren, according to the Journal.

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